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The Dead Duke His Secret Wife and the Missing Corpse Piu Marie Eatwell Books

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The Dead Duke His Secret Wife and the Missing Corpse Piu Marie Eatwell Books

Oh those crazy Victorians! This book is difficult to summarize due to the twisting and turning plot and the enormous cast of real characters. The Dead Duke is a thoroughly researched account of the the legal preceding and the families involved in a claim that the 5th Duke of Portland lived a double life as T. C. Druce, a middle-class merchant, eventually faking the merchant's death. This implies that the children raised as Druces were actually the children of a duke and due to inherit his land and wealth.

Near the turn of the 20th century, Anna Maria Druce presents her case in court. She claimed that her father-in-law, T. C. Druce, was the secret identity of the 5th Duke of Portland and that her eldest son is the rightful heir of the dukedom. She wants Druce's coffin exhumed, claiming that it will be empty. Thus begins the exploration of the life of the 5th Duke and of T. C. Druce. Both are odd ducks in their own right. The 5th Duke was intensely private and build elaborate underground tunnels on his property and communicated with his staff by letters. He was never married (or was he?) and it was alleged that he was unable to sire children. His cousin then became the 6th Duke of Portland. Druce was also very private and secretive about his past. And so starts the sordid tale of affairs, illegitimate children, greed, and lunacy. And that is just the beginning! The Victorians like their scandals as much as we do now. The story had intense media coverage and the legal case dragged on for years. More people came out of the woodwork claiming to be heirs. Attorneys on all sides were paying people to lie and falsify diaries. Inspector Walter Drew, who later gained fame as the man who captured Dr. Crippen (who was accused of murdering and dismembering his second wife) tries to bring to justice those who are manipulating the case. As late as 2014, questions are still unanswered.

This book will not appeal to everyone. If you enjoy very detailed research about one event in history, this is a good choice. Ms. Eatwell provides a lot of background information including historical and social perspective of the Victorian and Edwardian times. This is not a quick or an easy read. You need to take your time to absorb the information. The case of characters is large and at times confusing. Ms. Eatwell kindly provides a "cast of characters" in the front of the book. I found myself referencing this a lot. I gave this book 4 stars because I found it hard to follow at times. I am not sure that the fault lies with the author though. I enjoyed this book the most when I was able to devote large chunks of time to reading. Then I was engrossed and better able to follow the story. Unfortunately, I read parts of this in smaller chunks and had trouble keeping track of the players and the events. The book is very well written and provides a look into the lives of the less than proper and repressed Victorians.


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The Dead Duke His Secret Wife and the Missing Corpse Piu Marie Eatwell Books Reviews

Interesting series of events but so many characters (about 40) that it is hard to keep track of the players. Otherwise an insight into the turn of the century England and it's coming of age.
OK, I will admit it there were times that I got confused reading this book. I still enjoyed it. I've read a lot of books about the English and one thing that always seems to stand out is their slavish devotion to their titles. Maybe if we had titles, we'd be just as crazy. As it is, they place titles and breeding (even when said breeding comes at the price of some pretty strange behavior) above money but money is a very close second; it would have to be to finance those estates. Anyway, it's an interesting book and what I took away from it is that stripped down the basics, you could probably find the same plot line in today's National Enquirer.
Well written, wonderfully researched, page turner from beginning to end.
A grand and fascinating tale of British eccentricity played out against the laws of inherited wealth and titles. It seems like a fictional tale but then again truth is stranger than fiction! I could not put this book down!
Really a fascinating book. Couldn’t put it down.
Fascinating historical scandal. Odd people - both rich and poor. This is a tale of greed. A tale of off beat people. A tale of lies. A tale of trickery. This was a tabloid case of swindle. Highly recommended. Includes photos and lists members of all factions. It includes family trees for understanding. Very readable. This book deserves an A+++++++
This is the true story of the Druce case. A widow claimed her father in law was in fact the 5th Duke of Portland not a shopkeeper. Not only did people believe her the case left her behind when secret lives of both men were revealed keeping readers the world over enthralled for more than a decade. Witnesses came from multiple continents to tell of secret marriages, second families, and deaths that maybe weren't what they seemed. Really too crazy to believe, but told really well despite the many court cases and players and various shifts in focus of the whole affair
Oh those crazy Victorians! This book is difficult to summarize due to the twisting and turning plot and the enormous cast of real characters. The Dead Duke is a thoroughly researched account of the the legal preceding and the families involved in a claim that the 5th Duke of Portland lived a double life as T. C. Druce, a middle-class merchant, eventually faking the merchant's death. This implies that the children raised as Druces were actually the children of a duke and due to inherit his land and wealth.

Near the turn of the 20th century, Anna Maria Druce presents her case in court. She claimed that her father-in-law, T. C. Druce, was the secret identity of the 5th Duke of Portland and that her eldest son is the rightful heir of the dukedom. She wants Druce's coffin exhumed, claiming that it will be empty. Thus begins the exploration of the life of the 5th Duke and of T. C. Druce. Both are odd ducks in their own right. The 5th Duke was intensely private and build elaborate underground tunnels on his property and communicated with his staff by letters. He was never married (or was he?) and it was alleged that he was unable to sire children. His cousin then became the 6th Duke of Portland. Druce was also very private and secretive about his past. And so starts the sordid tale of affairs, illegitimate children, greed, and lunacy. And that is just the beginning! The Victorians like their scandals as much as we do now. The story had intense media coverage and the legal case dragged on for years. More people came out of the woodwork claiming to be heirs. Attorneys on all sides were paying people to lie and falsify diaries. Inspector Walter Drew, who later gained fame as the man who captured Dr. Crippen (who was accused of murdering and dismembering his second wife) tries to bring to justice those who are manipulating the case. As late as 2014, questions are still unanswered.

This book will not appeal to everyone. If you enjoy very detailed research about one event in history, this is a good choice. Ms. Eatwell provides a lot of background information including historical and social perspective of the Victorian and Edwardian times. This is not a quick or an easy read. You need to take your time to absorb the information. The case of characters is large and at times confusing. Ms. Eatwell kindly provides a "cast of characters" in the front of the book. I found myself referencing this a lot. I gave this book 4 stars because I found it hard to follow at times. I am not sure that the fault lies with the author though. I enjoyed this book the most when I was able to devote large chunks of time to reading. Then I was engrossed and better able to follow the story. Unfortunately, I read parts of this in smaller chunks and had trouble keeping track of the players and the events. The book is very well written and provides a look into the lives of the less than proper and repressed Victorians.